Irrigation system pipes are customarily buried below ground in order to protect the pipes from mechanical and weather related damage, to clear space for the free movement of foot and vehicular traffic, and eliminate unsightly apparatus from otherwise aesthetic environments. Valves and valve manifolds commonly employed to control automatic irrigation systems are also frequently buried, generally for the same reasons. The preferred method of burying an irrigation valve manifolds entails providing an enclosure or box for placement in a hole, wholly or partially burying the enclosure, constructing the manifold within the enclosure and connecting it to pipes running to the irrigation areas, and coupling the manifold to a water supply line with a union. In most residential applications, the valve box is left with a portion above ground level, to provide easier access. An electronic valve controller is installed, typically on or in a nearby structure, with leads to each valve passing through a hole into the enclosure interior.
Irrigation system valve manifold boxes are known in the art. The industry leader by a considerable margin is Rain Bird Corporation of Azusa/Glendora, Calif. Valve boxes manufactured by this company typically include a rigid rectangular enclosure for valve system components manufactured from foam high density polyethylene (HDPE) resin, knock-outs for running pipes and wires into the box interior, and a removable lid. Some models provide connection structure to facilitate mounting one box atop another valve box for deep installations. However, none of the Rain Bird brand boxes includes structure for pre-mounting a valve manifold and/or valve manifold pipe assembly, which must be constructed and installed independently and then fit into the box.
Most of the known valve boxes provide insufficient protection of the valve assembly from water intrusion, insects, migrating soils, and so on. Additionally, the valve manifold assemblies generally remain unsupported within the enclosure, and special apparatus or connectors must therefore be installed on the valve box or other structure provided in order to secure, stabilize, and protect the assembly from movement and damage.
A few solutions to the foregoing problems have been proposed and are known. These include, as examples, U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,023, to Hodas, which shows a plastic cuboid underground valve box including separate side and end walls that include interlocking portions adjacent their edges that secure them to each other during assembly of the box. The bottom side of the box is open to permit positioning of the box over one or more underground valves. A plastic cover is pivoted to the box so as to control access to the valve or valves within the box. The box may be divided into one or more compartments that each receive an associated valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,366, to Russell, shows an underground valve box having a tubular base divided into upper and lower portions by a horizontal member. Concentric steps descend downwardly and inwardly from the horizontal member into the lower portion of the base forming a series of seats, decreasing in diameter and increasing in depth, one of which will accommodate the selected valve body. The upper portion of the base has a pair of accessible diametrically opposed notches in which the inlet and outlet lines of the valve will be disposed when the valve body is inserted in its appropriate seat. The valve box also includes a tubular body which has a pair of accessible notches which can be aligned with the accessible notches of the tubular base. The tubular body is configured to securely removably gird the upper portion of the tubular base with the inlet and outlet lines of the valve disposed in the bottomwardly accessible notches. Preferably, the tubular body is contoured to also restrictively receive the body of the valve so as to minimize the possibility of rotation of the valve within the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,575, to Kobilan, teaches a protective housing for underground devices, including valves. It includes a base assembly with an open bottom and open top which may be closed with a snap-fit lid, but constructed for stackable arrangement of a plurality of housing structures. The sidewalls and endwalls are constructed to facilitate incisions, slots, and removable flap.
The foregoing patents and prior art devices reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.